David Roberts (Australian actor)
David Roberts | |
|---|---|
| Education | Victorian College of the Arts[1] |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1984–present |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2 |
David Roberts is an Australian actor who has appeared in television, film and theatre.
Early life
Roberts graduated from the Victorian College of the Arts in 1987.[1]
Career
Television
Roberts began acting on screen in the early 1990s, with guest roles in television series including medical drama The Flying Doctors, sitcom All Together Now and miniseries Seven Deadly Sins.[2] He also played the recurring guest role of Detective Brett Murray in Halifax f.p. alongside Rebecca Gibney.[3]
His first big break was in crime drama series Phoenix playing Detective Russell Howie, followed by a role in newsroom drama Mercury, opposite Geoffrey Rush[2][4] playing Dave 'Gibbo' Gibson.
In 2005, Roberts joined the cast of ABC family series Holly's Heroes,[2] playing the driven Coach Peterson.[5] He then appeared in long running soap opera Home and Away in 2009,[2] playing ill-fated trawler owner, Lou De Bono, a love interest for Irene Roberts (Lynne McGranger).[6] In 2013, he had a lead role in comedy series Please Like Me,[2] playing Alan, the father of Josh Thomas’s character.[7]
In 2019, Roberts played a senior member of Parliament in political series Total Control, alongside Rachel Griffiths and Deborah Mailman in 2019.[8] More recently, he appeared in 2023 SBS drama thriller miniseries Safe Home[9] and opposite his wife Helen Thomson, as Bernie in award-winning television series Colin from Accounts.[10]
Further television credits include Devil's Playground, The Code, Secret City, Rake, Offspring, Bad Mothers, Barons, Queen of Oz, Silver and Sunny Nights.[1]
Film
Roberts is best known for his role as Captain Roland in the 2003 science-fiction action films The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions,[2] alongside Keanu Reeves and Hugo Weaving. He has also appeared in 2007 Marvel Comics adaptation Ghost Rider, starring Nicolas Cage.[11]
In 2008, he was nominated for an AACTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role for the role of Raymond Yale in Nash Edgerton's feature film debut, the thriller The Square.[12][13] In 2014, he appeared in gritty crime drama film The Convict.[14]
He starred opposite his wife in the films Gettin' Square (2002), A Savage Christmas (2023)[15] and Spit (2025),[16] the latter in which he reprised his role from Gettin’ Square.
Other film credits include Me Myself I (2000), alongside Rachel Griffiths, Three Dollars (2005) with David Wenham and Frances O'Connor and US productions Fool's Gold (2008) opposite Matthew McConaughey and Kate Hudson and Unbroken (2014) by Angelina Jolie.[1]
On 11 April 2025, Roberts was named to appear in the film Posthumous.[17]
Theatre
Roberts has performed in stage productions for Griffin, Belvoir, and Malthouse Theatre.[2]
He appeared in Melbourne Theatre Company productions of Les Liaisons Dangereuses[18] and The Touch of Silk in 1988[19] followed by The Recruiting Officer and Our Country’s Good in 1989.[20]
He acted together with his wife in a stage production of In the Next Room (or The Vibrator Play) in 2011.[21]
Personal life
Roberts is married to fellow actor Helen Thomson. Together they have two children and reside at Wentworth Falls in the Blue Mountains, west of Sydney.[10][22]
Awards and nominations
| Year | Title | Award | Category | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | The Square | Australian Film Institute Awards | Best Lead Actor | Nominated | [23] |
| 2014 | Please Like Me | Equity Ensemble Awards | Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series | Nominated | [24] |
| Power Games: The Packer–Murdoch War | Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Miniseries or Telemovie | Nominated | [24] |
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | Attack on Fear | Seth Andersen | TV movie |
| 1988 | Miracle at Beekman's Place | TV movie | |
| 1990 | Beyond My Reach | Christopher Brookes | Feature film |
| Nirvana Street Murder | Policeman | Feature film | |
| 1997 | Nightride | Short film | |
| 1999 | Me Myself I | Robert Dickson | Feature film |
| 2003 | Roundabout | Michael Taylor | Short film |
| The Matrix Reloaded | Captain Roland | Feature film | |
| The Matrix Revolutions | Feature film | ||
| Gettin' Square | Niall Toole | Feature film | |
| 2005 | A Divided Heart | Charles Vickery | |
| Three Dollars | Gerard | Feature film | |
| 2006 | Small Claims: The Reunion | Peter Hindmarsh | TV movie |
| 2007 | Ghost Rider | Captain Jack Dolan | Feature film |
| Skin | Short film | ||
| 2009 | Fool's Gold | Cyrus | Feature film |
| The Square | Raymond Yale | Feature film | |
| 2010 | The Foal | Uncle John | Short film |
| 2012 | Careless Love | Mr Stevenson | Feature film |
| Fatal Honeymoon | Daniel Samuels | TV movie | |
| 2013 | The Landing | Edward | Short film |
| 2014 | The Convict | Harvey | Feature film |
| Unbroken | Officer Collier | Feature film | |
| 2017 | My Pet Dinosaur | Doctor | Feature film |
| 2018 | Slam | Alan McLeary | Feature film |
| 2020 | Occupation: Rainfall | Abraham | Feature film |
| 2023 | A Savage Christmas | James Savage Sr | Feature film |
| 2025 | Spit | Niall Toole | Feature film |
| Posthumous | Neil | Film |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | The Flying Doctors | Peter Gardiner | 1 episode | |
| 1991 | All Together Now | Etienne | 1 episode | |
| Chances | Matt Hennessy | 24 episodes | ||
| 1993 | Seven Deadly Sins | Alistair | Miniseries, 1 episode | |
| Phoenix | Robert Howie | 10 episodes | ||
| Law of the Land | Peter Lawrence | 13 episodes | ||
| 1996 | Snowy River: The McGregor Saga | John Archer | 1 episode | |
| Mercury | Dave Gibson | 13 episodes | ||
| 1997 | Big Sky | Pete Martin | 1 episode | |
| 1998 | Wildside | Murray Anders | 1 episode | |
| Water Rats | Barry Strong | 2 episodes | ||
| 2000 | Tales of the South Seas | Episode: "The Boxer Rebellion" | ||
| 2000; 2002 | Halifax f.p. | Detective Murray | 2 episodes | |
| 2001 | Do or Die | Dr Baker | Miniseries | |
| Head Start | Stephen Perry | 1 episode | ||
| 2002 | The Lost World | Morden | Miniseries, 1 episode | |
| BackBerner | David Frost | 1 episode | ||
| Bootleg | Martin Burrows | 3 episodes | ||
| 2003 | Out There | Johnathan Archer | 1 episode | |
| The Secret Life of Us | Bruce Lane | 2 episodes | ||
| Blue Heelers | Peter Ball | 1 episode | ||
| MDA | John Alfrano | 4 episodes | ||
| 2005 | Last Man Standing | Gerry | 1 episode | |
| Holly's Heroes | Alan Peterson | 26 episodes | ||
| 2007–2008 | Satisfaction | Tim | 3 episodes | |
| All Saints | Graeme Collins / Owen Ferguson | 2 episodes | ||
| 2009 | Rescue: Special Ops | Ed Frazer | 2 episodes | |
| City Homicide | Max McKenzie | 2 episodes | ||
| The Jesters | Andrew Shrapton | 1 episode | ||
| Underbelly: Razor | Frank de Groot | 1 episode | ||
| 2009–2015 | Home and Away | Judge Menzies / Lou de Bono | 20 episodes | |
| 2010–2016 | Rake | Norton | 4 episodes | |
| 2011 | Underbelly: A Tale of Two Cities | Angus Campbell | 2 episodes | |
| 2011–2017 | Offspring | Phil D'Arabont | 15 episodes | |
| 2012 | Tricky Business | David Lang | 1 episode | |
| Devil's Dust | Ian Hutchinson | 2 episodes | ||
| 2013 | The Packer Murdoch Story | David McNicoll | Miniseries, 2 episodes | |
| Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries | Lachlan Pepper | 1 episode | ||
| 2013–2016 | Please Like Me | Dad | 27 episodes | [25] |
| 2014 | The Code | Peter Lawson | 3 episodes | |
| 2016 | Secret City | General McAulffie | 6 episodes | |
| Soul Mates | Mayor of Bondi | 2 episodes | ||
| 2017 | True Story with Hamish & Andy | Chris | 1 episode | [26] |
| 2018 | The Blacklist | Desk Sergeant | 1 episode | |
| Fighting Season | Ian Vogel | 4 episodes | ||
| 2019 | Bad Mothers | Harry | 5 episodes | |
| Total Control | Kevin Cartwright | 6 episodes | [27] | |
| 2020 | Drunk History Australia | Cricketer | 1 episode | |
| 2021 | Blue Bloods | Lieutenant | 1 episode | |
| 2022 | Barons | George Thompson | 4 episodes | |
| Colin From Accounts | Bernie | 2 episodes | ||
| 2023 | Safe Home | Gerard Priestly | 4 episodes | [28] |
| Queen of Oz | Richard Steele | 3 episodes | [29] | |
| 2025 | Scrublands: Silver | Vern Jones | 4 episodes | [30] |
Theatre
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | King Lear | Edmund | Guild Theatre, Melbourne | [31] |
| 1988 | Les Liaisons Dangereuses | Le Chevalier Danceny | Playhouse, Melbourne with MTC | [18] |
| The Touch of Silk | David Ritchie | [19] | ||
| 1989 | The Recruiting Officer | Costar Piermain | [20] | |
| Our Country's Good | Midshipman Harry Brewer | [20] | ||
| 1994 | On the North Diversion Road | Beckett Theatre, Melbourne with Playbox | [32] | |
| 1995 | The Incorruptible | Merlyn Theatre, Melbourne with Playbox / STC | [33] | |
| The Head of Mary | Merlyn Theatre, Melbourne with Playbox | [34] | ||
| 1998 | Natural Life | Merlyn Theatre, Melbourne with Playbox & Queen's Theatre, Adelaide with STCSA | [35] | |
| 2003–2004 | King Lear | Edgar | Merlyn Theatre, Melbourne with Playbox & Tokyo / Nagoya / Seoul tour | [36] |
| 2011 | In the Next Room (or The Vibrator Play) | Dr Givings | Sydney Opera House with STC | [21] |
Music video
- Embracing Me (2015) by SAFIA
References
- ^ a b c d "David Roberts". Cameron's. Retrieved 2 June 2023.
- ^ a b c d e f g "David Roberts – Movies and TV Shows". SBS. Retrieved 2 June 2023.
- ^ "Halifax f.p: episode guide, series 5". Australian Television Information Archive. Retrieved 18 October 2025.
- ^ "Phoenix". Australian Television Information Archive. Retrieved 18 October 2025.
- ^ "Holly's Heroes: characters". Australian Television Information Archive. Retrieved 18 October 2025.
- ^ "Lou De Bono". www.backtothebay.net. Retrieved 18 October 2025.
- ^ "Please Like Me – About the Show". www.abc.net.au. Retrieved 18 October 2025.
- ^ "DEBORAH MAILMAN IN TOTAL CONTROL: A COVER-UP". National Film and Sound Archive. Retrieved 29 March 2023.
- ^ "From the award-winning producer behind Offspring, SBS Original thriller Safe Home premieres 11 May". www.sbs.com.au. 29 March 2023.
- ^ a b Allegretti, Alessandra (4 June 2024). "Helen Thomson (A.K.A Lynelle in Colin from Accounts) spills her favourite Blue Mountains secrets". www.escape.com.au.
- ^ "It's a family affair for the Edgerton brother's first feature". IF Magazine. 29 August 2007. Retrieved 2 June 2023.
- ^ "The Landing – Short Film". www.thelandingfilm.com. Retrieved 2 June 2023.
- ^ "2008 AFI Awards Nominees". Archived from the original on 14 September 2009. Retrieved 17 July 2013.
- ^ Downs-Woolley, Bree (27 February 2014). "TV Interview: George Basha: new Aussie film, Convict". www.glamadelaide.com.au. Retrieved 18 October 2025.
- ^ Slatter, Sean (23 January 2023). "Helen Thomson, Darren Gilshenan gather for Madeleine Dyer's A Savage Christmas". www.if.com.au.
- ^ "Spit". www.orpheum.com.au. Retrieved 17 October 2025.
- ^ Slatter, Sean (11 April 2025). "Josh Tanner and Jade van der Lei begin 'Posthumous' journey in Queensland with Sophie Lowe, David Roberts, Doris Younane". IF Magazine. Retrieved 12 April 2025.
- ^ a b "Les Liaisons Dangereuses". Theatregold. Retrieved 18 October 2025.
- ^ a b "The Touch of Silk". Theatregold. Retrieved 18 October 2025.
- ^ a b c "The Recruiting Officer". Theatregold. Retrieved 18 October 2025.
- ^ a b Scrivano, Laura (18 February 2011). "FEATURE: IN THE NEXT ROOM". Sydney Theatre Company.
- ^ Gripper, Ali (14 December 2011). "Blue Mountains country home". www.homestolove.com.au.
- ^ "2008 Winners & Nominees". AACTA Awards. Retrieved 19 October 2025.
- ^ a b "Redfern Now, Top of the Lake, Upper Middle Bogan casts win 2014 Equity Ensemble Awards!". www.meaa.org. Retrieved 19 October 2025.
- ^ "Renewed: Please Like Me". TV Tonight. 7 July 2016.
- ^ "Returning: True Story with Hamish & Andy". TV Tonight. 18 July 2017.
- ^ "Black B*TCH: Trailer". TV Tonight. 29 August 2019.
- ^ "Safe Home". TV Tonight. 7 May 2023.
- ^ "BBC One - Queen of Oz, Series 1, Episode 1". BBC. 16 June 2023. Retrieved 9 June 2023.
- ^ Knox, David (5 June 2024). "Filming underway on Scrublands: Silver". TV Tonight.
- ^ "King Lear (1987)". University of Melbourne. 18 October 2025.
- ^ "On the North Diversion Road". Malthouse Theatre. 18 October 2025.
- ^ "The Incorruptible". Malthouse Theatre. 18 October 2025.
- ^ "The Head of Mary". Malthouse Theatre. 18 October 2025.
- ^ "Natural Life". Malthouse Theatre. 18 October 2025.
- ^ "King Lear". Malthouse Theatre. 18 October 2025.